An unexpected romance
by his little girl
Summary: Laurie's back from college to celebrate Jo's birthday. With him are bucketloads of presents and a confession that leaves Jo utterly speechless UPDATED...SORRY FOR THE YEAR LONG DELAY
1. Chapter 1

**Jo's birthday**

"Marmee! Isn't Laurie due back today?" Jo came stampeding down the stairs, waving a letter. She stepped on the hem of her own dress and nearly flew down the stairs.

The sweet strains of Mendelssohn stopped abruptly and Beth appeared around the corner. "Jo! Are you hurt?"

Josephine March picked herself off the landing and managed to get down the rest of the steps without mishap. "Beth, dear, isn't Laurie coming back today? He wrote me last week saying his train would arrive at half past three. I'm late to get him!"

Beth smiled. Her sister was such a hurricane. Forever whirling around in active effervescence, her rambunctious sister exuded such a sense of perfect chaos.

"Tell Marmee I'm going off to the train station to get him. Can't wait for dinner time." Jo fairly breezed through the door, slamming it after her.

"Jo, you left behind your hat!" called Beth before Jo could disappear down the street. Jo halted abruptly in her dead run and turned around.

"Bother, _must _I wear it? Confounded thing, ribbons and all," was Jo's reply, as she panted from her run. Beth tied the 'confounded thing' on to her head, and pushed an umbrella at her sister. "Take it; I feel it might rain."

"Beth, you're a darling," said Jo gratefully, kissing her sister on the cheek. "I'll be back in time for dinner. Don't forget to remind Meg to bring the extra china over for the celebration."

The door banged shut after her. Two seconds later, it blasted open again.

"Bethy, could you please buy some raisins and nuts from the fruiterer when you head off to town to buy the groceries? I promised Demi some, and he I won't hear the end of it if he finds out the jar is empty."

Fifteen minutes later, Jo, having almost boarded a bus to the wrong side of town, finds herself at the train station.

"Oh dear, I'm late. It's already ten to four." Jo stood on her toes, trying to espy Laurie through the bustling crowd. "Maybe he thinks I've forgotten and has taken the bus home by himself."

In her haste to find her best friend, Jo stepped on the toes of an old lady who brandished her cane at her, as well as upset some baggage that was on the platform. Jo hurried to righten the suitcases and was apprehended by an irascible old Russian gentlemen who was under the delusion that Jo was trying to steal his luggage. To add to the confusion, having got away from the Russian man who lapsed in to a fit of wheezing after shouting himself hoarse, Jo bumped right in to a young maid who dropped her bag on the dirty station floor, covered with grime by the rush of hundreds of weary feet.

Turning around, Jo collided in to a broad chest and found her nose an inch or so away from a large brown waistcoat.

"I'm sorry, so sorry; I didn't mean that. I've been banging in to so many people and I can't find my friend," muttered Jo, whose many mishaps had reduced her to a state of continuous babbling. "Then there was the old fellow who spoke nothing but Russian and a handful of French and that poor, poor lady who dropped her silk bag then the old woman who hit me with her stick; I get in to nothing but trouble. I should just stay away from train sta…"

A choke of laughter made her look up and Jo's tired face broke in to a happy beam as Laurie's familiar brown eyes laughed back at her.

"Jo, dear, Happy Birthday! Dreadfully sorry you had to come all this way and get in to such a mess. You should have just stayed home," began Laurie, after enveloping the delighted Jo in a massive hug.

"Nonsense, Teddy! You know I love to come greet you myself. Thanks awfully for taking the day off to come home. I know it must have been such a hassle, what with the exams so near." Jo tried to hoist up the biggest suitcase with grace and almost ended up on the floor.

Laurie quickly relieved Jo off the bag, lest she get in to more trouble.

"You surely didn't think I'd stay at college and miss all the fun? Besides, I needed a couple days off to clear my head. Too much study does no one good and my head was starting to ache unbearably after too many lessons."

"So you have been studying? I'm glad, for I was afraid you were starting to waste all your grandfather's money for nothing but poker games and more awful hats," Jo said, pulling off the awful hat that was currently in fashion and giving the thing a disapproving shove down Laurie's pocket, while linking her arm with Laurie's.

Laurie went quite for a while, feeling that nothing was as good as being home with family and friends and having Jo's arm around his. So like Jo to worry about him.

"Teddy? Why so quiet?" Jo stopped and turned around to face him. "Not anything wrong at college with the fellows, surely?"

Laurie was quick to answer. "No, no, of course not. I haven't drank in ages, and neither have I smoked. You know I'd keep my promise to Meg." Only smoking and alcohol were far from his mind just now. Only Jo was bothering his thoughts.

Jo, perfectly oblivious to the look her Teddy was directing at her, gave a happy nod, and resumed her place by his side.

Together they hailed a bus down, and got in, towards home, and a celebrative reunion.


	2. Chapter 2

**Back home**

Settling themselves comfortably in their seat, the colossal suitcase bumping around next to Laurie on the floor of the bus, Jo asked "So, how has it been? Absolute freedom? College must be such fun, apart from all the mugging, and you must be reveling in it all."

Laurie sighed. "I'd rather be home. It's easier to take all that you face when you know there's family and a Jo to back you up."

Jo scoffed.

"It is!" said Laurie defensively. "It is."

"Well, if I were you, I'd do all I could to make my family proud, in spite of the fact that they are far away and aren't there to come to my aid when I need them." Jo meddled with the button on his cuff. "I wish I could go to college too."

"I wish I could go to college with you." Jo was silent for a while.

Laurie, a little stunned, not at the statement – it was not the first time she'd said that – but the feeling with which she quietly said it. Surely she didn't mean it…didn't mean it that way? He was starting to feel something infinitely precious in the hand that was fiddling with his own.

Before Laurie could say anything, Jo, her voice purposefully made merry to mask any other emotion to dangerous to be discovered at the present, said "What happened to your light traveling bag? You never bring such bulky things. This one's a monstrosity."

Laurie smiled on the inside. Jo did feel something for him, only she was unaware. He would make her aware of it. Later.

Laurie coughed apologetically as the baggage gave an extra big bounce as the bus went over a bump on the road. "That, my dear fellow, is because it holds more things than clothes and a toothbrush. Surely I wouldn't come all this way to see you and not bring anything for you? And your mother?"

Jo snorted. "The _brilliant_ nutmeg grater you bought John the last time you came was an absolute disaster, you dolt. It literally fell to pieces the first time they tried it. Meg is too sentimental to throw away such a gift, especially as it was silver, and kept the pieces carefully away. Where on earth _do _you buy such things?"

"Here and there. Whenever something nice pops up," was his absent reply.

"What have you got this time then?"

Laurie gave her a wicked grin. "I won't show you, else you spill to Meg."

A small scuffle took place as Jo tried to hammer open the suitcase to find the treasures.

Presently, Laurie took something from his inner coat pocket. He popped it on Jo's head and she shrieked as she pulled it off. "This is one of the presents."

"Laurie! What a waste of money! Don't say this is my birthday gift! It's hideous," exclaimed Jo, overcome with laughter as she flung the orange cap back at him.

"It matches my own. See? Now when your mother sees us, she'll have something to say to you too about the new trend," said Laurie, pulling out his own orange hat which had been earlier been stuffed down his pocket by a disdainful Jo.

"Looking ugly is your choice, but don't drag me in to it too. We look absurd," remarked Jo as they both wore the garish headgear and looked at each other, before bursting in to a fresh fit of giggles.

The bus stopped and they got out in a tumble. They started the five minute walk home to the Marches.

"Good gracious, there's Florence," muttered Jo, whipping off her hat and crumpling it in her hand. "I hope she didn't see me; she'd tell her mother. Aunt Caroll never keeps her big mouth shut and she's bound to leak to Aunt March."

Her companion gave her a reproving smack. "Are you making fun of my cap?"

"Not at all, Teddy. It's your taste I'm making fun of."

"If I _didn't _have any taste, I wouldn't be seen walking next to you."

Jo tried to figure that out for a moment. "Teddy, you sly creature, is that a compliment?"

Laurie shrugged. "You can take it anyway you prefer."

A sudden downpour quenched all conversation, and Jo silently thanked Beth for making her bring the green umbrella. Laurie convulsed with laughter as Jo neatly extinguished him by popping open the umbrella. They got underneath it, and as she was trying to prevent herself from getting drenched, had to walk closer to Laurie, who suddenly put his arm around her.

Jo gave a stifled cough. This was new. They'd usually just run home in the rain or she'd take off with the umbrella, leaving Laurie behind stomping through puddles. But this was fine. She rather liked this arrangement.

They trudged through the rain in comfortable silence and soon turned in to the March's bountiful garden. The place was abounding with sunflowers, for Jo had taken it in to her head to dry the seeds and feed them to Beth's bird. She'd not expected them to grow quite so fast.

They ran through the front door, in a last eager burst of energy to be out of the rain and unfortunately got stuck as the umbrella was too big to go through the door.

Laughter and a little struggle with the green wet thing ensued in which Jo neatly fell down on her rear end in to the rain.

Amy came running, after hearing the ruckus.

"Laurie, you're home!" Amy flew at him in a hug, her ribbons flying.

"You silly goose," came Jo from the bottom of the path outside "get Laurie in out of the wet."

Amy hurriedly did so, after Laurie gave a hand and with difficulty, pulled the sopping Jo up.

Marmee descended upon them with a benign smile and she welcomed Laurie with a hot drink, which he took at once, shivering with the cold.

Jo came right up beside him, and when Laurie had his fill, took the mug neatly from his grip and downed the rest.

"Well, I've still the rest of the cooking to do. Jo wanted to help, but I wouldn't let her near the kitchen. Laurie, keep her out of the way will you?" A gentle smile took away any implied sting of an insult to her daughter and she disappeared back in to the kitchen where Hannah was baking bread.

"I'll have to put my bags next door first. Can't leave them lying about like this," said Laurie. "Where's your father? I found something for him he'd love to have."

Amy picked up a sketch book to resume a half completed pencil drawing. "He's gone to pay a visit to some old friend of his from the army. He won't be back till six. Laurie, what do you think of my Athena?"

Jo hung the orange cap on the top of the hat stand, as Laurie tried to figure out a nicely polite and flattering remark, yet truthful reply as Amy waved a stout looking lady with bow and arrow in his face.

"Um…it looks…unlike anything I've ever seen. Finish it up with colours and I'll give you my full opinion."

Jo came to view the sketch. "What he means is your goddess is a little on the chubby side. Make her slimmer. The rain has stopped."

Amy looked at her own drawing with a critical eye, taking to heart what advice was given. She disappeared to repair Athena.

Laurie opened the door. "I'd better be off. Let's go for a walk before dinner time, shall we?"

Jo nodded. "We'll go down to the forest," she suggested, helping him pick up the suitcase "at around five?"

"I'll come pick you up."

Jo looked at him curiously. Why was Teddy being so serious now? She knew it, he _was _having some trouble of sorts. And she would make him tell.

"And Jo?" He paused at the door.

She looked at him inquisitively. "Yes?"

He gave her a light kiss on the cheek, unlike anything he'd ever given her before, full of sincerity and meaning.

"I'm glad to be home."

* * *

**oh pleease review. It does matter to an aspiring writer even if just one review shows up. The feeling's pretty hopeless when one gets no support. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Another gift**

Laurie was gone down the lane, his curly crop bobbing away from sight.

Jo, a little stunned, made her way up to the garret, holding one hand to her cheek, wondering if it meant more than she thought it might. Sitting down on the sofa, she idly picked up a worn and torn copy of Ivanhoe from the floor. Without quite realizing it, she turned slightly to glance out the window, hoping to see the tall gangly figure cross through the gate in the hedge. Her eye lingered a while, then she turned her attention back to Ivanhoe, though not quite all of it.

After a while, Jo gave up. She wasn't really concentrating. In her eye's mind, she kept seeing a friendly smile on soft lips and twinkling brown eyes that seemed to see right in to her deepest secrets and fears.

Jo mentally shook herself. What on _earth _was she doing? Christopher Colombus, she was _dreaming _of her best friend!

_He's a brother-cousin person, nothing more. My best friend, always, and my truest confidante, but not…not my…eugh! Imagine what he'd say if he found out I was thinking of him in that ghastly manner. My word!_

Jo ran down to the kitchen, in hopes to shake the silly thoughts and fiddly things that kept filtering through her mind. Maybe she'd grab a tid bit. She might have told Beth but she decided to keep this observation to herself for a while till she was quite, quite sure.

Hannah let out a small shriek when Jo appeared at the kitchen door.

"Mis' Jo!' The portly house keeper flapped her hands hurriedly. She pushed Jo out of the door and slammed it in her face. Jo was bewildered.

"You be staying right out of dis here kitchen. You'll see at dinner time soon enough," came Hannah's voice, loud and clear through the other side of the door. Beth's muffled laughter was audible as well; the door opened, and Hannah gave the flustered Jo a quick kiss and closed the door again in a flash.

Jo dropped herself in to Marmee's favourite chair in the living room, and curled up with a cushion. All were busy, or were out running errands. Except for Laurie. A quick glance at the gilded clock on the wall showed that Laurie would be coming over in half an hour. She tapped her fingers against the arm rest impatiently. Maybe she should just run over and hurry him up.

Her eyes unconsciously fell on a large horsehair covered monster of a pillow that lay on the floor by the duvet. It was in a sorry state, having just been torn by Jangles, one of Beth's kittens. It had been consequently mended but there was a bald patch where the delinquent kitty had chewed the hair off. Her mind wandered.

_I haven't used that pillow in a while. Teddy always whines so when I throw it at him. He's been too long away from home for me to have time and get angry enough to bang him about with it. I miss doing that._

She looked out the window. Not here yet.

_I wonder if he met any nice girls at college. He mentioned something about a Lizbet Forrester last time he came home. _Jo looked a little thoughtful. A small tinge of jealousy was readable in her open, honest face, tempered with a hint of bashfulness at the choice of object of her daydream. _Such a nice name; Lizbet. I hate my name. Boring old Jo. It's even worse when Aunt March screeches it in the awful fashion._

A soft meow announced Jangles presence and the black and white splotched creature pranced in to the room happily.

"Get away, you flea ridden bag of fur," Jo muttered, her watchful eye training the cat's every move. Jangles gave a resentful hiss and purposefully strode towards the armchair.

"I don't know why on earth Beth keeps you. All you do is scratch and spit at people, and tear up pillows and …" Jangles interrupted this tirade with a haughty 'meeeeeow' and proceeded to sink her claws in to the side of the arm chair.

Jo gave a war cry and, picking up the old horsehair-covered bolster, fired it at the startled kitty. It knocked Jangles off her dainty feet, which let out an earsplitting yowl before shooting out of the room.

Just in time to witness Jo's abominable treatment of the cat –though Jangles was most admittedly a nuisance- was Laurie who came through the door. The black and white 'bag of fur' rushed between his legs before taking cover behind the piano where it settled sulkily to lick its wounds inflicted by the rough missile.

"Nice shot. Stupid cat got me in the leg last time," remarked Laurie, throwing an 'ahah-serve-you-right' look at the white tail protruding from the back of the piano.

Jo, a little unsettled at Laurie's unannounced and rather sudden appearance, said rather unnecessarily "Oh. You're here."

Laurie laughed at her and pulled her out of the seat.

"And this…this is another one of the few presents I have."

With a mockingly solemn face, he handed her a bulky package, wrapped with plain brown paper and tied up with raffia string. Jo took it, casting a smile at her friend, probing the bundle with the tips of her fingers.

"Well? Open it!" Laurie made a show of stamping his foot when Jo made to put the parcel down beside a pile of colourfully wrapped objects, her other presents so far received, on the mantle piece.

"What, now? I'll open it with the others tonight."

Laurie gave an impatient nod. "No, open it now. I insist."

With a shrug, Jo tore off the wrapping and a piece of long, bright orange material unfolded in her hands.

She shook the cloth free.

Laurie laughed at the look on Jo's face – a comical mixture of surprise, bafflement, laughter and slight indignance.

"Teddy! How ridiculous! I'm no genius, and well you know it." Jo held out the cotton makeshift apron-cum-pen blotter against herself and snorted with laughter.

"For you to wear when you disappear in to one of those writing vortexes. Least we'll know not to disturb. It's rather nice isn't it? Like a sort of warning sign."

The words 'DO NOT DISTURB. GENIUS AT WORK' was printed neatly in a bold black hand across the apron; pens and scrolls danced along the hem, entertwined with the letters of the alphabet which were inscribed in a romantic gotham style.

"It's too bright. The ink stains won't ever come off and they'll show easily." Jo wasn't being ungrateful, only teasing a little.

Laurie sniffed. "I thought of all that. The material's special; washes real easy and the cloth doesn't stretch. Give me some credit, now. A man deserves it, after going to hell and back to find such a trifle."

Jo flung her arms around Laurie. " I love it, I do."

Laurie, a little taken aback, gathered his composure instantly, and smoothly said "Know what's best? It matches the scrubby cap I gave you this morning."

Jo let out a laugh and ran to find the cap. She put both on and paraded a little to let Teddy have a good look. He firmly approved, and having christened her 'the Shakespearean pumpkin' - Jo didn't know what kind of compliment it was, but couldn't stop laughing – they both grabbed their coats and headed out the door.

……………………………………………………………………………………..

**Hello to all the readers here ). Thanks for reading so far. I'm trying to not laze around and forget entirely about the whole story, so the reviews sort of help me remember. Ahem. **

**Urm….there's actually a bit of a time discrepancy in this here story, but please ignore it. Demi and Daisy at this point of time are actually still yet to be born but please give an allowance. Let's just say Meg and Brooke got married without waiting the four years. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A confession**

"You've grown."

"Nonsense; you're just saying that to pacify me. You used to be only two inches above me when we were fifteen. You were rather a slow one."

"No! I'm serious," Laurie insisted, trying to look serious. "Look, you're only somewhere up to…"

"Up to your shoulder." Jo threw him a disdainful look.

"That's not so bad."

"No need to rub it in. It rankles me when you start spouting drivel. You're a good head taller than me, though sometimes I wonder if you _have _got your head on."

They tramped comfortably throught the forest, Jo trying to admire the greenery and the tranquility of the place around them, instead of thinking how nice Laurie's hair was and how unfair her hair wouldn't curl nicely instead of frizz up, but it was hard work.

She gave up and unashamedly stared at the back of Laurie's undoubtedly fine, broad shoulders as they walked. Laurie walked slightly in front, kicking leaves about in what was his usual carefree, make-a-mess style.

His face was deep in thought, however, and his countenance pensive. Jo would have been worried had she seen him just them.

"I'm hungry," Laurie announced suddenly, turning in his path. Jo almost strode right in to him.

Jo plopped herself on the ground, heedless of the crumbly earth and fallen leaves and made herself comfortable. "You're lucky this time. Hannah gave me gingerbread and literally threw me out of the house. I don't know what all that 'hush-hush' is about."

Laurie sat next to her, and stretched his long legs beside hers. He accepted a broken piece of ginger bread she handed to him and tossed it in to his mouth, finishing it off in a matter of seconds.

"Watch how you down it. I only have three pieces and we'll have to ration."

She handed him a torn hanky filled with three very broken biscuits which still managed to look appetizing despite its forlorn state.

She closed her eyes and leaned back on the rough, peeling bark and sighed happily.

"Laurie, I'm so glad you came back. We haven't gone for a walk like this in ages."

Her eyes were shut dreamily against the soft sun rays that filtered through the canopy of leaves above them and she leaned her head against his shoulder, which felt hard and solid yet comfortable.

Laurie only made an 'mmhmm' in agreement. He was too busy staring at her face, absorbing in the angular lines and planes that were thoroughly unfeminine and utterly Jo.

Why couldn't she see he loved her? She almost seemed determined to ignore his well-placed hints and small nudges, which was making life miserable for him. Was it typical of all good women to do that?

He leaned over her, almost unconsciously, wanting so badly to put his lips to her mouth and just show her what he felt, how deep it was and how true it was. He wanted to not have to hide anything, or act like her careless references to their friendship – to her it was nothing more – stung him like a lash.

The sun was on Jo's side, for it played on her face in soft hues, and gave grace and peace to the strong jaw and decided brow that she always hated. Her skin was unblemished, and her chestnut hair, long grown back, cascaded over one shoulder from where it escaped from her haphazard bun at the back of her head.

The sharp, shrill noise of a jay rang through the forest, above the soothing sounds of rustling branches, and Jo jerked up. Her forehead collided with Laurie's nose, which had been perilously near to her face.

"Teddy!"

"MpPHHph! PffFfFt!" Laurie reeled back, half laughing, clutching at his nose, trying to look like he hadn't been about to brush a kiss against her crown.

"Oh, goodness, Teddy, I'm so, so sorry! Have you broken it?" She scrambled up from her place under the tree to where Laurie was rolling around, his hand to his face.

"I broke it? More like you broke it!" Teddy gasped, trying to decide whether to laugh or blink back the tears that instinctively rushed to his eyes at the pain.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry. I'll bandage your nose. I'll fix it. I'm sorry. Only don't tell Marmee; we'll never hear the end of it. Oh dear, _your poor nose_," said Jo, apologizing profusely, her voice cracking miserably on the last three words as she rocked backwards on her heels, grasping Laurie's flailing hand.

Laurie lost it about there and gave in to hysterical laughter.

Jo stared, astonished. "I've almost snapped your nose in half with my forehead, and you can still laugh?"

Laurie managed to sit up, shoulders shaking with suppressed mirth as he tried to gain control of himself lest he alarm Jo any further.

Jo gave up.

"I'll _never _understand you," she said at last.

Laurie affected wiping away a tear of laughter.

"Sure you do. More so than anyone else. And if I have it my way, a lot better in time."

"Now just what is that to mean?" She gave a last tweak at his nose to make sure it was fine, and at Laurie's hand swipe, settled back against the tree again.

_Now's the time, old chap. Go for it._

"Ahh…Jo. I must tell you something."

"Mhmmm."

"No, really, Jo. And you must pay attention."

"Mhmmm."

"Ahh…you see. When you call me 'Teddy', well…it's obviously…a…well… what does…does it mean? Mean, exactly…ah…mmphmm…Jo? Jo, are you listening to me at all?"

Jo's head lolled comfortably on his shoulder.

Laurie heaved a huge sigh, looking utterly miserable and yet entirely relieved at being spared the trauma of having to say anymore.

_I'll never pull through with this._

He leaned backwards, trying to subconsciously shift his body to realign it closer to Jo's lanky frame, without waking her. His one free hand slowly drifted up to Jo's face, dropped down, then lifted again. He softly stroked one wayward curl and muttered something hardly intelligible, before putting his hand back to his side.

She wouldn't ever understand.

Jo tried desperately to school her expression in to that of peaceful sleep.

_I can't deal with this know. I wouldn't ever know what to say! _

_Surely he doesn't mean what it…what it sounds like? It's almost as if he's trying to say… No._

_Oh gosh. I wish I'd listened when Meg tried to teach me how to sleep properly in that last play. It would so help now._

Jo's heart skipped a beat when through her half closed lids she saw Laurie's hand lift up in front of her, hesitating.

Laurie had such nice long fingers. Pianist fingers.

_Maybe he just wants to brush some insect away from my hair. Or a leaf. Or…_

She shut her eyes completely hurriedly, just as Laurie's hand lightly brushed her temple in a fond gesture. His hand was gone almost as quickly as it was gone.

_It was definitely an insect._

Laurie's voice came, tender yet somehow agitated.

"Why can't you love me?"

Jo's throat dried up.

_But I do. Oh, I DO._

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**Hello people. I was breezing through my 'writing junk' folder the other day and realized to my horror i'd totally forgotten about this fic and it's been sitting collecting dust. I'm very bad.**_

**_Anyway, i hope to start (yes, hope) continuing this...and yes, same as always, please review. _**

****

**_) have a nice day._**


	5. Chapter 5

**A splendid surprise**

"Oh Laurie, I can't take another step, really I can't."

"Oh, nOoO you don't. We have to get a…ah…" Laurie espied a cloth shop. "…ribbons! Ribbons for Meg!'

Jo smacked the tall fellow towering over her, whose hand was fisted up in her corners of her dress.

"Ribbons for Meg, indeed! You're up to something, I know it, yes I do. Ribbons for Meg my left foot."

Laurie had dragged her down to town and the two had been thus far to the grocerer's, where Laurie had neatly avoided bashing down a tower of cans piled up by the display window, the postmaster's office to collect an elusive package, and the theatre to see what was playing two nights hence. There Laurie had purchased four very nice printed tickets to the "Princess Bride", Morgernstern's newest musical, much to Jo's horror after catching a glimpse of the price, and Laurie's insistence at booking second row seats.

He now neatly towed her to Mr. Buntain's cloth shop and steered her to the large wall which was covered in lengths and rolls of ribbons

"Laurie, really I don't get this nonsense. Meg needs NO ribbons," and Jo stalked briskly out of the shop, trying not to snort with laughter.

"I haven't gotten anything for her! She will surely be disappointed in my lack of.."

"She needs NO ribbons, she needs NO more clothespins, NO canned peaches and she most CERTAINLY does not have a package coming in from Papua New Guinea!"

Laurie collapsed in to laughter.

"Oh, fine. It is getting late anyway. Might we head back?" And he held out his arm for her to take.

Jo grabbed it and tried to stamp on his foot, but he sidestepped it neatly, before backing in to a passing lady, who most unfortunately had an umbrella, and threatened to jab him with it.

They fled.

"Might we head back. _Might we head back? _I have been asking you to 'let's head back' since half past six!"

They had to stop and catch their breath, Laurie bent over, hysterical with laughter, then exploding in to hacking coughs at the dust kicked up by a vehicle which zoomed by at a considerable speed not two feet away.

After multiple thumphs on Laurie's shaking back (which, Jo did not fail to note, was deliciously –_ my goodness, where did that word come from? _- broad, and lean. And hard. But nevermind.

Twenty minutes later they were walking down the path to Orchard House, Jo's brilliant sunflowers clearly visible from where they were standing. Laurie was sending Jo into her usual fits of laughter, and they made a lovely pair, the both of them: one giant stomping in circles in imitation of Fezzik, a character from the musical in his attempt to promote the benefits of attending the performance with him, and another long haired creature trying to hold Fezzik at arm's length with her long foot.

Wonderful pair, them two.

When they finally approached the house, Laurie out of nowhere burst in to a healthily loud rendition of 'He's a Jolly Good Fellow'.

Jo, who was in the mood for a lark, followed suit, mouth open wide and noise blasting forth.

In mid bellow of "and nobody can deny", the parlor and Beth's bedroom windows flung wide upon and a crowd of multicoloured, tousled heads stuck themselves out and struck up with fine style.

There was Beth and Hannah, waving their aprons wildly around their heads from the kitchen window from the side wall, and Amy roaring like a madwoman from the skylight, ribbons clearly visible as they fluttered about her pink face.

"FOR SHE"S A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW, FOR SHE"S…"

Meg's sleek head poked out of the parlor window, alongside Brooke's with Daisy on her father's head and Demi in danger of falling out the window, all with mouth's wide open and hands waving.

"…SHE'S A JOLLY GOOD FELLLLLLLOOOOOW!"

Marmee stood beaming benevolently at the front door and Father stood behind her with his arms wrapped snugly around her waist, both also with no apparent sense of decorum, all dignity lost as the whole house screamed the last few lines.

"SHE"S A JOLLY GOOOOOOOOD…"

Here Amy punctuated the stanza with four inhuman shrieks from the attic, and handfuls of brightly coloured streamers flew out the window.

"AND NOBODY, NOBODY, NOBODY CAN…."

Demi ran up the path, chanting along, "She's a jolly good fellow, that nobody, nodoby, noboby…"

Laurie stood the gaping Jo, stamping his foot like a piston, before grabbing Jo and whirling her in to the house, where all descended upon her.

"NOBODY CAN DENY!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 : Thanksgiving from a grateful heart**

_I don't think I've ever been quite so happy in my life._

Jo March leaned back, a soft smile gracing her face, quite unlike the great grin that often stretched from ear to ear. She felt warm, full, at thoroughly at peace.

She stretched languidly, back rubbing against Marmee's chair from where she was curled up in her favourite corner, placidly surveying all that she was proud to call home.

Meg was sitting on the stair case, bonnet ribbons hanging haphazardly over her sweet heart shaped face. Demi was on her lap, and Meg was frustratedly trying to shove a spoon of peas down her stubborn protégé's large mouth, which on the occasion was sealed shut as he squinched his eyes and hummed one continuous note.

_He's as tone deaf as….as me!_

It was proving to be thoroughly too much for Meg, who was attempting to pry his lips apart with her own fingers.

Demi promptly coughed up whatever mashed peas he had been storing in the little space between teeth and upper lip in to his mother's lap, who sat, stunned in to stupefied silence as she stared at her son, before laughing at her little angel who had just spit up veggie on her new patterned linen skirt. Demi, who had been only waiting for the impending scolding, did not see the funny side at all, but if his mother wanted to laugh instead of punish, all the better! Demi started cackling away too, and mother held son on the stair way, covered in green peas.

Jo laughed.

_Meg's such a mother. She's so busy with the two brats now, she can't be bothered two pence about her hair or her hems. Bless her._

Daisy was sitting on the edge of the dining table, face to face with Amy, decked out in her favourite blue velvet for the party. Daisy was sitting down, patiently, and quite enjoying the attention given, as the pretty artist curled Daisy's smooth brown locks in to a pile of wayward curls above her right ear.

_She looks like a unicorn with a dysfunctional horn._

Daisy was quite the opposite from her naughty half, and was complacently stuffing her face with blueberries, plump cheeks smeared with glistening blue.

From Jo's comfortable spot, she glimpsed through the full length mirror in the hall, dearest Hannah, trying to get past the gargantuan Laurie who filled up the kitchen door with his lanky frame and insisted on relieving the feisty woman of her dishload of plates before allowing her to pass.

Hannah swatted Laurie's rear with the end of her apron and Laurie yelped, before grasping his posterior. He threw an offended look at Hannah, who was roaring herself hysterical, and proceeded to snitch Hannah's white cap, which had lost all it's starch since morning.

Shuffle ensued, in which Hannah lost all dignity and hopped from one foot to the other as Laurie pranced like a drunken faun, waving the cap over his curly temple.

The cap was suffering more every minute, and quickly became a crumpled ball in Laurie's fist, which provoked a sonorous bellow from Hannah.

Jo collapsed in to silent laughter at their antics. Her eyes softened at Laurie, dear Laurie, behaving like a madman in the kitchen.

_He's such a bad boy. Marmee's always telling him to behave._

At the thought of dear Marmee, Jo was drawn to Marmee's head, brown and grey and silver and many other colours, hair drawn up severely, which graced a gentle face entirely at odds with the stiff bun. She leaned against the china cupboard, talking to John who listened intently, before picking up Marmee's tiny hand and kissing the back of it fondly.

_I'll never get used to sharing Meg with another, but I'm glad of John. Meg's so happy with him, and life would be so dull without the brats._

Jo stared downed at her thin, slender fingers which fiddled together and she hugged her knees.

She was silent a moment, and leaned the smooth expanse of her forehead on the rough fabric of her homespun, smiling in to the cotton.

Then she lifted her chin, the sharp, defined, distinctive chin that Laurie always joked could sink the Titanic with. She looked upwards at the ceiling, looked past the plaster, past the wooden floor and red carpeting, past the fireplace on the upper floor, past the scratched and tired wooden desk that creaked under the weight of a multitude of scripts, past the roof which was badly in need of retiling, and up in to the dark ink of the sky, dotted with the sparkles of stars, where she imagined heaven to be.

_Thank you, God. I…I can't thank you enough. But thank you, anyway._

**I want to laugh. I first wrote this thing at 14, then i got tired fast (like the bum i am), took a year off, then wrote another chapter or two, which i followed up with a ANOTHER year of doing nothing. i am thoroughly ashamed of myself. **

**anyway. D i promise to give an update as soon as possible.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Behind Marmee's chair**

"Hello there."

Jo jumped a little at the intrusion, quite sure she would've been left alone awhile in her cove behind Marmee's chair.

She glanced up to see Laurie's brown eyes, deep and large like doe's eyes, looking warmly down at her over the top of the cracked headrest. There was one lock falling carelessly over his right eyebrow, lending him a boyish, carefree look which made Jo's already warm and fuzzy heart melt a little further.

Jo mentally beat herself up. _It's a darn lock of hair. Everybody has hair!_

Calmly, and quite collectedly, she replied, "Hi."

Laurie's eyebrow twitched a little.

_Alright, maybe not that calm and collected._

She returned the smile, and Laurie's face went back to normal.

All the way from the kitchen, the entire household heard with immense clarity and brevity, "Ma'am, he took my cap, that boy; he snatched it right off this head here, and crumpled it ball-like, yes he did!"

Jo's eyes met with Laurie's in an instant and he snorted with laughter, before clambering over the armrest. He shoved Jo further in to the corner behind the chair, and with some measure of difficulty, folded his legs like a garden chair, and deposited himself beside Jo, who started breathing a little hard.

_I don't know what IS wrong with me. Sitting behind Marmee's chair with him like this and I'm getting all flustered. Really, Josephine March, I don't know what's coming over you._

But Josephine March _did _know what was coming over her, only refused to closely look at it, quite quite sure it would frighten the wits out of her.

"Hide, hide!" Laurie muttered, still holding in laughter as he sat down, the whole of their lengths pressed up against each other side by side in the shadowy corner.

Jo forgot everything at the feel of Laurie next to her, and her mind went rather blank for a moment.

"Jo?"

_Oh, golly. I've done it now. Look at her, upset as anything. Her face is all…queer._

He dropped a browned scrap in to Jo's lap.

Jo snapped to it, picking it up, and scrutinized it.

"What is this, exactly?"

"Uh…Hannah's cap."

"I thought so."

Silence.

"Laurie, boy, I'm not letting you asneak off round no back door with my only cap. If you thinks you gettin' away with this, you is most most wrong. Laurie!" Then hissing to herself in defeat, "Bah," Hannah returned to the kitchen, her domain, where she comforted herself by scrubbing pans with renewed vigour.

Jo smacked Laurie on the shoulder.

"Really. I ought to turn you in. Look how you've exasperated her."

"Only a bit of fun, eh? Let the college boy have his pranks if he's not allowed to play them in school." Laurie's eyes twinkled.

Laurie's eyes always twinkled, but at close range, they rather dazzled Jo, who didn't dare to say anything for fear it would come out intelligible and only serve to embarrass her. She settled for smacking Laurie again, before solidly stamping out all the little voices piping in the back of her head, warning her against twinkling eyes and brown curls, and settling herself comfortably against his shoulder.

"Good dinner?"

_Couldn't be other wise with you there._

"Very satisfactory, thanks."

"Thanks? What do you mean, thanks? I say, take it back. You and your grandfather were the ones behind the entire orchestration. Marmee's never bought ice-cream and sausage together in her entire life. Crazily expensive."

"I live to please."

Pause, in which Laurie's fingers moved restlessly, wanting to creep over Jo's lap and pick up the hand there, which was tracing the faded little flower patterns there.

"You enjoyed it then?"

Jo heaved a sigh. "I'm so full, I feel like I've eaten enough to last a week. It was a gorgeous dinner, Teddy. Totally extravagant, but absolutely gorgeous."

"Glad you liked it. I'll have you know I drew up the menu and sent it over by post from college so grandfather could get things ready."

"You didn't!"

Soft laughter. "Alright, maybe I didn't, but I certainly did some things. I did have some thing to do with the menu, certainly."

"It was quite possibly the …biggest dinner I've ever had the pleasure of consuming. I mean, turkey on a day _not _Thanksgiving?"

Groans from Laurie. "Alright, alright. I know you don't care too much for turkey, but I like it. Hannah did a bang up job on it."

Another pause, in which Jo determinedly clamped her fingers into fists, bunching up her skirt, so they wouldn't do something stupid. Finger combing somebody's hair, for instance.

Shadows suited Jo as well as dappled sunlight, and her skin was the other feature which was praise worthy, apart from her luxurious hair, which had grown considerably since the notorious hair cut. It hung down in thick, glossy waves of chestnut, over the chest which Jo always privately moaned over, so discreet and modest was it.

Jo had actually grown up some, and wore her hair up most of the time, which hardly suited Laurie, but for today she'd let it down, and it tumbled over her shoulders, which were admittedly more shoulder blade than flesh.

_Her skin looks soft. It always looks soft, but now it looks…soft soft. Soft. I wonder if she'd flinch if I touched her. Just put my palm against her cheek._

Jo was fixedly staring at her boot laces, quite certain Laurie was glaring at her profile.

_Columbus, Laurie's turning funny._

Laurie was rudely interrupted in his sentimental observation of the smooth length of Jo's neck by a little voice.

"I spy a Laurie!"

Without waiting for invitation, Demi pushed his way in to the little corner, quite roughly tumbling over Laurie's middle, exerting an "oof!" out of the young man as tiny knee sank in to full stomach.

"Aunty Jo, I wants to sit on your lap."

There wasn't very much space, but they made some.

They were all quiet for a short while, as Demi squirmed in his aunty's lap, trying in vain to find a comfortable position in a lap that was possibly the worst place for a toddler to cuddle in, so sharp angled and bone jutting it was.

"Aunty Jo. You need to eat more."

He settled down at last, Laurie laughing silently at Demi's comment, which made Jo flush, all too aware of her thin frame.

Laurie tried to snuggle a little closer, but Jo caught on at once, and shoved him with her shoulder. "Teddy! We're in this God-forsaken corner with about four inches square of floor to share; I have this little pudding on my lap and you want to come closer? Away!"

"I think he's more peas than pudding. I'll take him, if you prefer. Gosh, is the little fellow asleep already?"

Jo glanced down at the curled up fellow, sooty lashes laid dark against flushed cheeks, gravy and cranberry stains and other unidentifiable grease marks on his front.

"He cavorts like a little goat, then falls asleep all over the place; won't wake at all, not if the house burns down around him."

"He sounds like me. I say, when _are _you going to open your presents? I'm dying to see what Grandfather got you; the package is most queer, and it weighs bricks. Been poking at it all day, and I still can't figure out for the life of me what it is." Laurie fingered Demi's sleeve, and immediately withdrew it, finger pulling a thin thread of goo with it, face twisting in distaste.

"My presents, not yours. I saw that bundle, the red one with the shiny ribbon. I daren't think what he got me, he lavishes such awful amounts of money on us, Beth especially. No, no, I don't begrudge Beth a thing, only every time he gives us something, I feel an inane urge to give something back. Something other then burnt cakes and knitted scarves. All of which he doesn't need."

Laurie's feet tapped a little rhythm on the floor, and his brows scrunched up, an endearing motion which always made Jo admire the 'benevolent brow', the 'artist's brow'.

"Nonsense, he loves them. I assure you, he eats every last one of those burnt offerings. Won't let me eat them, either."

Jo's face warmed, pleased.

"He might choke on them one day. The last batch was ridiculously hard. He bought me this new ink, this delightful shade of green. Really, I've never seen such ink. I was going to make bread, but even that's too hard for poor me. So in went the cookie dough, and out came those little pellet-missile-things. But he knew I was baking something, and came over to fetch them himself, and I hadn't any choice but to let him see. He ended up taking the whole tray away with him. I'd have thrown them away otherwise; they aren't fit to used as anything but cobblestones."

Laurie laughed, then tried to stretch. Bones were audibly heard clanking, and they groaned simultaneously.

"Let's get out of here. Hannah will have forgotten all about it by now."

"I'll be darned if she does. Here." And Laurie slyly tucked it down Demi's shirt, which resembled a rag cloth more than a shirt.

With difficulty, the three tumbled out of the corner, Demi snoring peacefully, sleepy bliss apparent on his face throughout the episode, in which Jo, clumsy to a fault, somehow trod heavily on Laurie's finger and Laurie's shoe came off.

Amy spotted them at once, emerging from the dark hole, and zoomed in on them.

"Jo March, I don't care to ask what you two were doing in there-" at which both Jo and Laurie coloured slightly, Laurie only wishing they'd been doing something that would justify the slight rose spreading on Jo's cheek, - " but we want to open presents now." At Jo's bemused face, Amy added hurriedly, "Your presents, sister."

Jo carefully laid Demi down on the couch, where he rolled over Jangles, who tried to meow but squeaked instead, as Demi neatly flattened him down, before disappearing under fat cushions in the far corner of the sofa.

Linking arms through Amy's and the other through Laurie's, Jo allowed herself to be led to the kitchen, where many joyful faces awaited her.

**I know this entire chapter was nothing more than a filler, which doesn't have a thing to do with the plot, only I like playing around with Jo and Laurie so much, so forgive my weakness and pray I manage to move on.**

**AND REVIEW! **


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